Rail-clamp



J. C. AND G. C. ZWARL RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 14. 1921.

1,381,955. Patented June 21, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN c. zwnnr mn GERRIT c. ZWART, or .snnnnnook, comvac'rrcn'ri RAIL-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ju e 21, 19 21."

7 To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that we, JoHN C. ZVVART and GnRRrr C. ZWART, citizens of the United States, residing at Glenbrook, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an-Improvement in Rail-Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide clamps for railroad use which shall be inexpensiveto produce,very strong, easily operated and which will securely lock the rails to the ties and. Wholly prevent creeping of the rails, and will avoid injury to the ties by spikes, screws, etc. Each rail clamp comprises a pair of flange clamps havingint'erlocking shanks, a base plate, and a bolt which passes through one of the flange clamps and through the shank of the other flange clamp and engages the base plate.

In the accompan ing drawings, forming a part of this spec' cation,

Figure 1 is a view showing a rail in cross section, and a tie and our novel rail clamp in elevation;

Fig. 2, a view as seen from the right in Fig. 1, the rail and one clamp being in elevation and the tie in cross section.

Fig. 3, a plan view corresponding with Fig. 1, the rail being in section on the line 3-3, looking down; and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

1O denotes a rail and 11 a tie. Our novel rail clamp comprises flange clamps 12 and 13 which engage the respective flanges of the rail. Each clamp comprises an u per and lower jaw, the operative faces of w ich correspond with and are adapted to engage the upper and lower sides of the rail flange. We have shown these jaws as provided with engagin ribs 14: which bear on the respective surfaces of the rail flanges. These ribs may or may not be used as preferred. It will be noted that the space between the engaging flanges at the bases of the jaws is slightly less than the thickness of the flan es at the edge. This is in order to provide or variation, within reasonable limits, in the thickness of the flanges and to insure locking engagement of the jaws with the flanges at all times. Flange clamp 12 is provided with an outwardly extending lug 15 through which the bolt 16 passes obliquely to the vertical plane of the rail. Flange clamp 12 is furthermore provided with a shank 17 which likewiseextends downward obliquely to the vertical plane of, the rail. Flange clamp 13 is provided with a shank18 which extends downward obliquely, crossing the plane of the shank of clamp 12. Shanks 17 l and 18 are made interlocking by means of a relatively Wide rib 19 on shank 18, which engagesa corresponding groove 20 in shank 17. The connection is loose enough to permit slidingmovement of the shanks relatively to each other, as will presently be eX- plained. The lower end of the bolt is shown 1 as reduced, the reduced end passing through the lower endof shank 18 which is shown as enlarged to give greater strength. A shoulder 21 on the bolt engagesthe upperside of saidshank. t

22 denotes the base plate which extends transversely under the tie and is made enough longer than the width of the tie to provide engaging ends 23 to receive the ends of the bolts on opposite sides of the tie. The base plate is preferably provided with longitudinal ribs 24 as shown, or engaging points if preferred, which are forced into the under side of the tie to prevent movement of the plate. The base plate is also provided with bosses 25 to provide additional engaging surface for the threads of the bolts, the ends of the plates and the bosses being provided with threaded holes, which are enga ed by the lower ends of the bolts.

ur novel rail clamps are used in pairs, one being placed on each side of every tie. The position of the rail clamps is reversed so that the heads of the bolts lie on opposite sides of the rail and the bolts extend downward and inward obliquely, i. e., toward each other from the lugs 15 to the base plate, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3. When a bolt is screwed down, shoulder 21, hearing on shank 18, will draw flange clamp 13 inward and downward and, through the interlocking engagement of shank 18 with shank 17, will draw clamp 12 also inward and downward. We thus force the jaws of both flange clamps inward tightly upon the flanges and also draw the rail down tightly upon the tie. The structure as a whole is thus made firm and rigid and creeping of the rail is prevented.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A rail clamp comprising flange clamps for the flanges of a rail, said clamps having inwardly and downwardly extending interloeking shanks and one of said clamps having an outwardly extending lug, abolt extending obliquely downward and inward and passing through said lug and through 5 shank interlocking with the shank of the other clamp, a bolt engaging one flange clamp: and the shank of the other flange clamp; and a base plateengaged by the bolt;

A railuf clamp comprising flange clamps V for the flanges of a rail, said clamps having downwardly and inwardly extending interl'ocking shanks andone of said shanks having. an outwardly extending-lug, a bolt extending through said lug and through the shank ofthe other flange clampandhaving a shoulder bearing on said shank,.a-nd a baselp'late engaged by said bolt, tightening of the bolt throughthe engagement of said shoulder and said shank acting to draw the flange clamps inward on the rail flanges and to draw the rail downward; against the tie.

4 A rail clamp comprising flangeclamp's having interlocking shanks, and means engaging one flange clamp and the shank of the other rflange clamp for simultaneously forcing said flange clamps inward and downward. V

5. A rail clamp comprising flange clamps provided with interlocking shanks a' bolt passing through one flange clamp and having a shoulder engaging the shank of the other flange clamp, and a base plate engaged by said bolt.

6. A rail clamp comprising flange clamps having upper and lower jaws provided with engaging ribs; said-flange clampshaviiig shanks which interlocln; a bolt passing through one flange clamp and engaging the sha-nkof the other flangeclamp, and base plateengagedby the bolt; In testimony whereof we aflix our-signatures.

JOHN G. 2mm. i

GERRII c; ZWART; 

